When Facebook launched Messenger Kids in December 2017, it struggled to endear the new app to the public. The day after its release, Jeremy Hunt, then the U.K.’s health secretary, slammed ...

Finally, Facebook Messenger Kids is rolling out to more than 70 new countries. Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

That's a pretty accurate way of explaining what Facebook 's app -- Messenger Kids -- is. It's designed for kids ages 6-12 and downloaded using a parent's Facebook account.

Messenger once allowed users to chat across platforms, but now Meta is emphasizing the app’s ties to Facebook. Meta’s Messenger has a new logo set in Facebook blue.

But App Annie, an app analytics firm, said Messenger Kids has been downloaded about 80,000 times on Apple's iOS devices — iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch — since it launched on Dec. 4.

Messenger Kids, Facebook’s chat app for children ages six to 12, is getting a sleep mode so parents can have more control over how much time a child spends using the app.

Messenger Kids won't automatically turn into a traditional Facebook account once a child turns 13. What's more, says Facebook, Messenger Kids puts parents in the driver's seat.